Matthew Henry Commentary Hosea 13:1-8

"When Ephraim spake, there was trembling; he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died. And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, even idols according to their own understanding, all of them the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the dew that passeth early away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the threshing-floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney. Yet I am Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt; and thou shalt know no god but me, and besides me there is no saviour. I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought. According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted: therefore have they forgotten me. Therefore am I unto them as a lion; as a leopard will I watch by the way; I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart; and there will I devour them like a lioness; the wild beast shall tear them." — Hosea 13:1-8 (ASV)

As long as Ephraim maintained a holy fear of God and worshipped Him in that fear, he was very significant. When Ephraim abandoned God and followed idolatry, he declined.

Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves, as a sign of their adoration of them, affection for them, and obedience to them; but the Lord will not give His glory to another, and therefore all who worship images shall be put to shame.

No solid, lasting comfort is to be expected anywhere except in God. God not only took care of the Israelites in the wilderness, He also put them in possession of Canaan, a good land.

But worldly prosperity, when it nourishes human pride, makes people forgetful of God. Therefore, the Lord would confront them in just vengeance, like the most terrible beast that inhabited their forests. Abused goodness calls for greater severity.